Nick Cannon has sparked intense backlash from Taylor Swift fans after he joked he would be “all in” to having children with the singer.
Cannon, 42, discussed a hypothetical situation in which he’d have a child with Swift during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on 10 April. The remark came in response to the father of 12 getting asked by host Howard Stern whether he plans to have more children.
The TV host said he is unsure if more children are in his future, but that he’d “absolutely” be open to having a child with Swift who recently ended her six-year relationship with Joe Alywn, per reports.
“Nick, Taylor Swift wants to have a baby with you. Would that do it?” Stern asked the TV host. In response, Cannon said: “Absolutely! I’m in. Let’s go! I’m all in.”
Cannon was asked what was it about Swift that would convince him to become a father of 13 and he replied: “First of all, she’s an amazing songwriter. And what I do love about Taylor Swift is that she has been so vulnerable and open with all of her music since [she was] a young girl.”
The former Nickelodeon star then claimed that he and Swift are “very similar” when it comes to their romantic pasts, with Cannon adding: “Like, me and Taylor’s numbers [are] very similar when we talking about being in these streets. So I think she would relate to me very well based off of, you’ve dated a lot of people in the public eye, so have I, so we probably would really understand each other.”
Stern then pointed to the recent reports that Swift is now single, prompting Cannon to reveal he is already aware of the singer’s alleged relationship status.
“You know I know that Howard … My spidey sense was tingling,” he said, adding that the idea of having a child with Swift would be “amazing”.
On social media, the segment has been met with criticism from fans, with many accusing Cannon of “misogyny” over the comments about Swift.
“Get a job/stay away from her etc but also, please notice how he has decided that Taylor Swift’s body is available to him just because she’s single now,” one person tweeted. “This is how straight men display casual misogyny, in the guise of ‘jokes’”.
Another said: “Nothing has ever showcased Nick Cannon‘s disgusting misogyny quite like him publicly saying he wants to impregnate a famous stranger. I can’t fathom thinking that was an okay thing to say, even if it’s a ‘joke’. Like wtf.”
“How misogynistic and pathetic of both Stern and Cannon to suggest this, even in so-called ‘jest,’” someone else tweeted.
Others said the conversation was “disrespectful” to Swift on the basis that it implied Cannon is the “only person with a say in the matter.” Someclaimed Cannon’s comment could be construed as “sexual harassment”.
“As if he is the only person with a say in the matter and as if she is available to him. Nick Cannon is beyond gross,” one person tweeted, while someone else said: “This should be categorised as sexual assault, and I’m so serious.”
Cannon is already the father to 12 children with six different women. In addition to 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan, whom he shares with ex-wife Mariah Carey, Cannon is also the father to son Golden, six, daughter Powerful, two, and son Rise Messiah, six months, with Brittany Bell, son Legendary, nine months, with Bre Tiesi, daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, four months, and twins Zion and Zillion, one, with Abby de la Rosa.
He also shares daughter Onyx Ice, six months, with LaNisha Cole, and daughter Halo, three months, with Alyssa Scott. The pair were also parents to five-month-old son Zen, who died from a brain tumour in 2021.
Elsewhere during his interview with Stern, Cannon appeared to forget one of his children’s names after he was asked to identify all 12 of his offspring.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Cannon and Swift for comment.
